The Greens have pledged $1 billion over a decade so that all public hospitals can provide abortion services, in a policy move designed to pressure Labor ahead of the federal election to commit to universal “reproductive health services”. Source: The Australian.
After abortion became part of election campaigns in Queensland and the US, and Peter Dutton warned his MPs not to be distracted by the issue, the Greens declared it “must not be a culture war or a postcode lottery”.
The $100 million annual cost would be used to “equip public hospitals with the personnel and facilities required to provide termination services”.
Greens women’s spokeswoman Larissa Waters said the Greens “will fund the provision of abortion services and care at no cost through the public health system, and receipt of this new funding will require public hospitals to provide a full suite of reproductive health services, including surgical abortions”.
It has been 18 months since a Greens-led parliamentary committee handed down the Ending the Postcode Lottery: Addressing barriers to sexual, maternity and reproductive healthcare in Australia report, to which the Government has so far failed to respond.
Senior Labor MPs have sought to wedge the Coalition on the issue, urging Mr Dutton to make clear if he rejects any efforts to criminalise abortion and acknowledges the Commonwealth has no role in passing abortion laws.
Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham, the party’s most senior moderate, said Mr Dutton had no plan and no intention to change abortion laws and respected states’ rights.
He said abortion would only be on the national agenda “if people choose to politicise it”.
The Australian revealed in April that Anthony Albanese was facing internal pressure to provide more taxpayer support for abortion services.
FULL STORY
Greens announce $100m a year to expand public hospital abortion access (By Rosie Lewis, The Australian)
RELATED COVERAGE
Abortion back on election agenda after Greens push Labor to improve access (The Age)
